Reading Comprehension

PT135 · S3 · P2 · Q10 Information Archival

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While recent decades have seen more information recorded than any other era, the potential for losing this information is now greater than ever.

Topic

The risk of losing modern information due to the fragility and rapid obsolescence of recording and storage technologies.

Framework

Problem / Solution

Main Point

Although we now create and save more information than ever, the materials and technologies we use to store this information are increasingly fragile and quickly become outdated, making it very challenging for archivists to preserve important records for the future. (The key sentences summarizing this idea are in the first paragraph: )

P1: The Fragility of Modern Storage Media

We learn that even though we're recording tons of information these days, we're at greater risk than ever of losing it, mainly because modern recording materials (like acidic paper, color photos, and videotapes) are way less durable than the old stuff (like clay tablets or parchment). So, archivists are stuck dealing with this paradox of more information but less reliable media.

P2: Technology's Double-Edged Sword

It might seem like saving everything digitally would solve this problem, but rapid changes in technology can make stored information inaccessible surprisingly quickly. For example, data saved on older computer disks can become unreadable as the software and hardware change, and even new digital tapes only last about ten years. Archivists are feeling the pressure as time runs out for both old and new media.

P3: The Tough Choices Archivists Face

Even if we develop storage tech that finally lasts, archivists will still have to decide what is worth saving—fast—since things are deteriorating all the time. Figuring out the value of each item is tricky, as history has already lost some great works simply because no one realized their importance at the time. The real danger now is that there is just so much stuff, stored on media that doesn't last, that archivists might not be able to sort and save what's most important before it's too late.

10.

The passage most strongly suggests that the author holds which one of the following views?

Correct
Archivists have little choice but
Why this is right
This is supported by the 2nd paragraph and beginning of the 3rd, although it's not very appealing on a first pass, since the 2nd paragraph was explaining why computer technology is not a great long term solution. The 2nd paragraph begins, - computer technology would seem to offer archivists an answer (most things can be transferred to and stored electronically on computer disks, occupying very little space. and ends - even as some archivists are reluctant to become dependent on ever-changing computer technology, they are also quickly running out of time That latter line seems to be the strongest support. The author is saying, "Yeah, I know it's not perfect, archivists, but y'all better make peace with computer technology because you're running out of time and it's all you've got." That's where the phrasing of "they have little choice but to become dependent" comes from. We know they're reluctant, but they have little choice but to accede to computers as their best option. Finally, the beginning of the 3rd says that "new computer technologies are emerging that may soon provide archivists with the information storage durability they require". That present progressive tense, 'are emerging', makes it sound like this is partly present tense / partly future tense. To make the answer more appealing, we could simply ask ourselves, "Does the author think that archivists are going to invent some non-computer way of archiving stuff?" To that, the answer is a pretty clear no. Even if the main point of the passage is that archivists can't find a great solution to this problem, it's still common sense that archivists will try to make the best of an impossible situation by using archivists to preserve what they can.
Skill tested: Author Opinion · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
73% picked this
Archivists should wait for truly
Opposite, if anything
This goes against the final sentence of the 2nd paragraph and the gist of the 3rd paragraph. When the author says, "even though they're reluctant to use computers, they're quickly running out of time", she is urging them to do the opposite of what this answer is saying. Given that the author told us that some modern media only lasts 10-20 years, and given that the author is afraid of losing important works, the advice in this answer choice would mean that we would lose a lot of what's on media that's currently deteriorating, if archivists were to just pause and wait until truly durable data systems are available.
4% picked this
The problems concerning media durability
Too Strong: diminish greatly
This answer doesn't make any sense, when you think about what it's saying. If information weren't stored electronically at all, most archivists would suddenly not face the problem of an avalanche of quickly-deteriorating recorded information? How would that problem greatly diminish? Would the archivists just be content to lose all this information, or would they be preserving millions of terabytes of data on some physical surface?
5% picked this
Storing paintings, photographs, and other
Unsupported Comparison
The first line of the 2nd paragraph lumps all these media together: Computer technology would seem to offer archivists an answer, as maps, photographs, films, videotapes, and all forms of printed material may now be transferred to and stored on computers, occupying very little space. So it doesn't seem like the author ever drew a meaningful distinction between storing text and storing other forms of information.
3% picked this
Generally, the more information one
Unsupported Relationship
In the examples of media forms and their respective durability, it's generally true that the media with higher storage capacity had less durability. Tablets and parchment have little storage capacity but are very durable. Videotapes and computer disks/tape have a lot of storage, but are not very durable. But the way this answer choice is phrased, it's not connecting "storage capacity / durability". It's connecting "the more we jam onto it, the less durable it is". In other words, it's saying that if we put 900 Gb on a 1 Terabyte drive, that 1 Tb drive would degrade faster than if we only put 100 Gb on the same type of 1 Tb drive. We definitely can't support that sort of idea.
15% picked this

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